Hue, Vietnam – November 12-13, 2010

I just realized that this blog had not been posted. I was reading Randy’s blog and he mentioned going to the Hotel Morin in Hue as a tourist site and I wondered if he knew that was where I stayed. Well obviously he didn’t know because it looks like I didn’t post it. Anyway, here it is and I'll try not to forget to post any more. Randy, let me tell you it was a pretty nice place to stay but probably cost a bit more than your accommodation.

This morning we got our wakeup call, had our bags out for pickup, ate breakfast and were on our way early. It was still cloudy in Hoi An but at least it wasn’t raining. In fact it was the nicest day we had in Hoi An. Oh well, we were off to a new adventure.

We had about a four-hour drive north along the coast to Danang and then up over the Hai Van Pass. The coastal scenes were beautiful and we stopped a couple times for pictures. The beaches were lovely and totally deserted except for a few fishermen out with their poles, nets, regular boats and even basket boats. The Vietnamese do not sunbathe as we do trying to get a darker skin because they all want whiter skin. Regardless, the beaches are lovely along the east coast of central Vietnam. Tourists obviously like the area as there are many huge resorts being built or already operational. And just to correct something form an earlier blog, the US marines landed at Red Beach, not China Beach so the latter was just for R&R.

We saw Monkey Mountain and Marble Mountain again. We had a picture stop for the 7-tiered pagoda on Marble Mountain. The pagoda was only built about 10 years ago so it’s not anything historic. The mountain however is historic because there are caves in the mountain and the Viet Cong used the caves as their hospital during the war.

The harbour in Danang is a large important harbour to Vietnam but it’s nothing compared to some ports I’ve seen on this trip. There were some large ships including some cruise ships (not as big as the Diamond Princess) but mainly they were just hundreds small fishing boats of various sizes and some tug boats or barges. It was interesting to see them building a new bridge across the harbour parallel to the current bridge. Their construction methods didn’t look exactly like ours.

The Hai Van Pass over Cloudy Olsen Mountain is a relatively new highway with a lot of switchbacks and steep climbs. The views are fantastic but the ride is a bit scary at times and the drops are quite extensive down toward the sea. The summit is over 400 meters above sea level. I think the whole pass was only 21 kilometers long but it definitely took a long time to get through. Of course we did have to take a few picture stops along the way. At the summit there is a lookout and the remains of the old armament towers. We took a couple minutes to climb up to the lookout posts and the gunnery stations but there really wasn’t much to see. Not all vehicles are allowed on this road. Some, like motorbikes, must take the tunnel through the mountain. Trucks are allowed on the road and some of them were very slow so the buses were passing them. The road is only one lane in each direction so passing was interesting. I also noted that most of their runaway lanes were on the wrong side of the road, which seemed a bit odd to me. However, if you’re out of control I guess you go wherever you can go to stop. And, as is the normal practice around here anyway, I guess you just blast your horn continually to tell everyone you’re out of control and coming through. This pass is part of highway 1A which runs the length of the country from Hanoi to Saigon, some 1760 miles or kilometers. I’m not sure which. And of course, on either side of the pass there is more very wet but green countryside with rice paddies and other vegetation everywhere.

Hue (pronounced sort of like whey) has a population of 300,000 and was the imperial capital of Vietnam in the 17th and 18th centuries and the royal families lived here. The city was founded in 1558 and is now recognized by UNESCO. In 1714 it was the strategic centre of the country. In 1858 the French came in and the kings were exiled for a while. The French built lots of buildings so the style of many buildings is European. In fact Eiffel even designed some of them. Many of the buildings, French or older, were destroyed during the various wars but some are being restored now.

The Citadel is very large and impressive. Covering 520 hectares right on the Huong River, this is where the royal family lived and where the king worked. The royal section of buildings runs down the middle of the complex and is called the Purple Forbidden City. The set up is very much like the Forbidden City in Beijing when you look at the model, but many of the buildings here are just being renovated or in some cases foundations are being excavated. There is a huge wall around the outside surrounded by a large moat. There are a number of guard towers and stations along the top of the wall and a limited number of gates to enter the city. The walls are over 20 feet thick. Outside the wall there is a huge square for the people to gather. Inside the wall there are many pagoda-style structures, temples, pavilions and gardens all centered around the central royal area, the Purple Forbidden City. The stories sounded the same as the Forbidden City in the way the buildings were located and who could enter what area and how many wives the king had and so on, the red and gold colours and even the three walls encircling the inner city. The Citadel was built in the late 18th or early 19th century.

The Buddhist Thien Mu Pagoda, built in 1601, was our next stop. We walked around the various buildings in this complex, which was built because some respected Lord dreamed of a heavenly lady and thought he should build a pagoda to her. The highlight is the seven tiered pagoda, which is right above the river so very impressive from down on the river bank. We also saw the old Austin that took the monk, a member of this monastery, to Hanoi 1963 where the monk burned himself to death to protest the situation. We all remembered those images on TV!

Our hotel is right on the Perfume river, which divides the old and new town, and my room overlooks the Truong Tien bridge which seems to be for just motor bikes and pedal bikes and pedestrians. I haven’t seen any cars on it. The Hotel Saigon Morin is a beautiful old hotel and the rooms are huge. My room has a king and single in it and could easily have that again. There is a sitting area by the large window overlooking the river and promenade. And there is a desk area as well. The floors are dark hardwood and they glisten in the light. The bathroom is also huge with a separate bath and shower. Both of my bathrooms could fit into this one with room to spare. I guess the best way to put is that it has character. It was built in 1901 and it still looks to be from that era in some ways while being totally modern in other ways.

We had dinner at a place just a couple blocks from the hotel. It specializes in recreating dinners for the royal family. The first thing we did was go in and get fitted for our royal robes. Luckily most of them were just wrap arounds so it was easy to do over our clothes. The tour director had chosen a king and queen so they were adorned appropriately. Then we all had to follow them into the hall and they were led by musicians. The king and queen sat above us on a platform while the rest of us sat below. The meal was beautifully presented with elaborate vegetable carvings accompanying most dishes. We also had the royal court musicians playing their traditional instruments and singing for us. It was a bit hokey but okay.

I forgot to mention lunch. It was in a small French restaurant, La Carambole, in Hue. It was on a busy street in a typically long and narrow building with the whole entrance open. The food was good and the service was excellent. The restaurant is owned by Christian who is French and, in his words, the restaurant runs itself. All employees are on a profit-sharing plan so they all know what they have to do to make the restaurant successful and make more money. Every morning they open the restaurant up to children going to school and feed them breakfast to ensure they all have a good day. They also support many other local causes so it was nice to eat there. And the prices were right as I don’t think anyone paid over $5 for their meal.

I’m at the airport now waiting to fly to Hanoi so hopefully I’ll have time to get today’s adventures completed. This morning we went to visit tombs of the Nguyen Kings and they were all quite unique. First of all we went to see the Eunuch’s Tomb and that facility had many fancy gates, water features, gardens and pavilions. It is a working monastery and some of the young monks were in one of the temples chanting. There were burial places for the high ranking monks and also an area for the eunuchs to be buried. We had to walk quite a ways to get to this place and the local vendors were continually around us trying to sell fans and postcards and other trinkets. The umbrellas would have been very popular if we weren’t already prepared because it was another wet morning.

Our second stop was at an incense and conical hat place. The process for both was interesting. The incense comes in sandalwood, which was the most popular, and cinnamon. People did buy incense but I don’t think the store sold many of the hats which are a bit difficult to pack.

The next stop was the Royal Tomb of King Tu Doc. Tu Doc was the 4th king of the Nguyen Empire (1848-1883). His tomb is in a large compound with beautiful lake and an island where he apparently like to come and hung. Of course these kings all picked out and built their burial sites before they died so they could enjoy the spot in advance. The main building was up many stairs and consisted of many areas. The sign on the first level said it consisted of 30 buildings and another mentioned 50 monuments so that will give you an idea of the size. There was a receiving area with thrones for the king and queen. There was another area with thrones where opera performances were presented for the royalty. There were numerous courtyards and walkways and it was lucky we had a guide or we might not have gotten out. The buildings were wooden and brick structures with tile roofs and there were lots of carvings and decorations on the outside as well as the inside. At the actual tomb site he had statues of elephants and horses and men to keep him company in the afterlife. He wrote his own epitaph and it is carved on a stone and it is the largest such one in Vietnam. The French excavated the area to find the King’s body but could not find it. They believe that it is hidden in a secret location and not really on the burial site. In other sections of the site the major and minor wives of the king were buried.

From there we went to the mausoleum of King Khai Dinh, the 12th King of the Nguyen Dynasty (1916-1925). He was the puppet king who was “in power” while the French really ruled the country and the general population did not like him. At one point he raised the taxes by 30% so he could have money to build himself a marvelous tomb in a European style. According to our guide King Khai Dinh only cared about himself and not his country. There were also rumours that he was gay and that his wife was already pregnant before he married her and that’s how he got his heir. It almost sounded like a soap opera! Anyway, his tomb is set in a peaceful landscape and there are rows of statues including some of the King himself. The tomb itself is somewhat western in style and materials for it came from China, France and Japan. Tens of thousands of small ceramic and glass pieces are inserted on the walls creating beautiful images. You had to climb over 125 steps to get to the top level and the main building but the climb was worth it because of the glistening mosaics, fine art and other colourful pieces. The view wasn’t too bad either. From there we went to the airport for our flight to Hanoi.

Chiang Mai, Thailand – November 21-24, 2010

We arrived in Chang Mai in the late afternoon of the 21st, and had a few hours to relax and unpack before heading off to a dinner and cultural show. I took a tuk tuk down to the old town to do a walking tour during this free time. I had the driver drop me at the first temple on the walking tour and away I went. The first temple was Wat Chiangmun, which was built in the 13th century. (Wat means temple so you’ll probably see a few more wat references in this blog.) The outside was very nice with gold decorations on a green background. On the inside the walls had beautiful paintings in bold colours. The central altar (?) was very large and gold and held relics from King Mangrai from centuries ago. The interior had dark wood beams with gold decoration so even the ceiling was nice. There are always many buildings around these temples so it’s sometimes hard to tell which one is the main one. Another one on this site was blue with gold decorations and another appeared to be just the natural dark wood with gold decorations. They were all beautiful. Even the stupa was beautiful. It was large and high with rock on the bottom with elephants all around the one level, and the top seven tiers were done in gold. Just don’t ask me what type of gold (solid gold, gold leaf, etc.) because I have no idea. All that glitters is not gold but this certainly glittered in the sun.

After leaving the temple I tried to follow my walking tour but never did see their next point where I was supposed to turn. I just sort of followed my own route up and down the streets and looking at smaller temples and eventually made it to the Cultural Centre. It has a large front yard and it was very busy. There were beautiful paper lanterns of bright colours hanging everywhere. I never actually tried to get into the centre as there was just too much going on outside. I wandered down the one side and there was a market set up. There were lots of people there. There was also another small temple on that side and it was packed with people and decorated with hanging lanterns so everyone was sitting under the decorations and the decorations were all an outsider could actually see when looking in. I continued my walk around the block of the cultural centre and came back to the main entrance to see floats lined up on the street getting ready for the parade. I wandered down the row of floats and took some pictures as I was not going to be able to stay for the parade. By the time I was finished it was time to make my way out of the old city through the city wall and over the moat to the new city to find a tuk tuk to take me back to the hotel so I could change before our dinner and show. Where I exited the old city there was a display of brightly coloured elephant statues which were very interesting. They were only temporary and for the festival. The moat itself is also very nice and provides a nice green space around the old city wall.

The Kantoke dinner and cultural show was very good. The four of us sat at a table but a lot of people were sitting on the floor in the centre of the room eating from low tables. Their way might have been more traditional but ours was definitely more comfortable. The meal was traditional Thai and very tasty. There was only one dish that was so spicy that I didn’t really enjoy it. The rest were delicious and the fried chicken was especially good although I have no idea what spices they had on it. They use a lot of lemon grass in their cooking and it has a wonderful lemon aroma. They also have a lemon grass that they don’t use in cooking as it has a very strong aroma and can’t be eaten. It is used in perfumes and it smells a lot like lemon pledge.

The cultural show was in two parts. One part was in the dining area and the other was in another theatre with wooden seats under a thatched roof. With all the firecrackers going off everywhere I wasn’t sure I wanted to be sitting under a thatched roof but everything turned out okay. The first part of the show was short formal dances such as the fingernail dance, peacock dance and the lantern dance which I had previously seen. The music was played by a small orchestra playing traditional instruments. The costumes were very colourful and the ladies were beautiful. Most of the dances were done by ladies but some such as the knife dance were done by males. There were many dances but I don’t remember what all of them were at this point. The latter part of the show included the more active dances such as the bamboo dance and this time with children trying to jump over the moving bamboo poles. It also included the harvest dance which I’d seen before, and several short tribal dances around the campfire. The announcer was a bit hard to understand so I didn’t really catch the names or some of the tribes represented or the meaning of the dances. However, they were still interesting to see. It was also interesting that so many of the costumes looked quite heavy and hot, almost Mongolian in style, and I guess there is some Chinese influence as well in the northern area. The whole show was enjoyable and definitely a cultural experience. It was not as professional as some of the other shows we’ve seen but it was done by the local people and represented their lives.

On the 22nd we took a trip out of the city to Wat Doi Suthep, a temple tucked away in the mountains at around 3,500 feet above sea level. There are 290 steps leading up to the temple but our tour guide had already ordered tickets for the funicular so what could we do? We really were prepared for a long slow climb in the heat and had agreed we’d all just go at our own speed and meet at the top. But then it turned out we didn’t have to worry. At the top, the temple and grounds were fantastic but we couldn’t enjoy the view since it was too foggy down in the valley. All the buildings of the Wat Doi Suthep are decorated in gold and other shiny stones and they really are impressive, especially on a sunny day which it was. The rooftops and stairways are decorated with ornate dragons. The pillars are red with gold decorations and the roofs are red and gold, if not totally gold. The buildings themselves are green, blue, red colours and very shiny with inlaid gems or stones or glass between the gold decorations. Inside and outside the buildings are many, many golden statues – mainly Buddhas in different stances and for different purposes. Some of the buildings had beautiful marble walls and some had beautiful paintings or murals on the walls. The main stupa was all gold with simple geometric decorations and many versions of the seven tiers. It was well over 100 feet high so very impressive. The royal umbrellas around it were also gold but so fine and delicate that they looked like lace. Even the fence around the stupa was in gold. In one of the temples there was a green emerald or jade Buddha that is supposed to be a model of the one in the Grand Palace, the one we didn’t see because that temple was closed when we were there. The central Buddhas were often surrounded by many smaller statues and decorations. In one building the Buddha statues were surrounded by mosaics of sparking gems or glass in various colours. I no longer know which one was the main temple because they were all so spectacular in their own way. This was definitely the most impressive and ornate temple we visited on the trip as the gold just made it glimmer in the sun. The temple was built by the King in the 14th century. The steps up to the temple weren’t built until the 16th century so I guess you just climbed mountain paths before that. The temples was reconstructed and expanded in the 19th century and the road was added in the 20th century. Even today many of the people and the monks will still walk up the road or climb the steps to get to the temple.

On the way back to our hotel we stopped at old town and visited Wat Phra Singh, the main civic temple in the old town. It is a working monastery and it was apparently an orientation day for new monks because they were everywhere in groups taking tours. Again there were many buildings in the complex and we only visited a couple. Some of them were the residences so we definitely didn’t go there. The stupa was all white and quite high. Some of the temples were white and some were a dark wood but all had small intricate gold geometric decorations so very impressive. The rooftops and the staircases again had decorated golden dragons. In some buildings the paintings or frescoes on some of the walls were almost totally worn off but in one area they had started restoration so you could see what it might have looked like. These pictures all tell stories because, as in many other places, most people couldn’t read so the stories were passed down verbally and in pictures. The Buddha statues were in gold and very nice but much smaller than the previous temple. The altars around them were heavier and darker in colour. The window shutters and door carvings were very detailed and beautiful with gold on wood. The one temple centre piece was very large and high and very intricately decorated with gold and other gems. The Buddha seemed very small against the larger background. The wooden pillars and door and window frames were ornately decorated in gold and other gems. Another temple had white walls and pillars against the wooden roof and then a beautiful large golden Buddha with several other smaller Buddhas in front and around it. The simplicity of the surroundings made this Buddha seem large and brilliant. The working monasteries have different temples for different occasions and that is one of the reasons there are so many temples in one complex. Another reason is because as the complex grew in size another larger temple was added but the older ones were kept as well. They seem to put them all to use.

The three of us decided to stay in the old town for lunch and do some sightseeing. We ended up eating at an ice cream parlour and lunch, at least my banana split, was delicious. We then wandered around the town and looked at some more temples. There are 27 temples in the old town and it is less than 3 square kilometers in size so it’s easy to find temples. The other two took a tuk tuk back to the hotel and I wandered around for another couple hours and then walked back to the hotel. One of the highlights was visiting Wat Jedi Luang which is home to a large university and to the City Pillar. I’m not sure how old the pillar is but it is huge and was built in the centre of the city at that time. A large earthquake in the 16th century caused great damage and it has not been totally restored. However, parts of it have been and they are impressive with elephants all around the one tier of the square pagoda. The steps on four sides are very steep and guarded by dragons or serpents. It’s hard to tell as they are quite worn down. The pillar was built in the 14th century. It is over 80 metres high, although the exact height is not known as no one knows what was on the top of the pagoda originally, and is the highest in Thailand. It is 60 metres along each side so quite impressive. I’m sure when it was in its original style and completely gold plated, it was even more spectacular. All of the buildings surrounding the pillar are also quite impressive and very ornately decorated with a lot of gold. Again on my way home for the evening I saw floats getting lined up for the parade so I followed along the line to take a look at them although I did hope to see these ones later in the actual parade.

The old city of Chiang Mai is not like other old cities I have visited. Yes, it is surrounded by the remains of a city wall and a moat but the inside doesn’t really seem that old. Most of the streets are wider than in European old towns and there really isn’t much to see. The stores are mainly for locals and include mechanics shops and hardware stores. You don’t get the usual touristy things except in street carts at the main attractions, mainly the temples. The sidewalks are in terrible shape so you really have to watch where you are stepping and finding a restaurant is tough. They seem to all be located in one small block so if you’re not in that area you are out of luck. It was fun to wander around and amazing to see just how many temples there were but it wasn’t an exciting old city that really made you want to go back to see more.

That evening the three of us went down to the parade and the night market and to dinner at the Whole Earth Restaurant. We walked from the hotel down to the night market but didn’t do much shopping. Then we came to the parade route and watched a bit of the parade. Then we took a very roundabout way to reach the restaurant but it was worth it and the meal was good. After dinner we walked to the nearest boat launch on the river to watch the locals release their floats into the water. The area was behind one of the temples and it was very crowded. People were also releasing their lanterns into the air so it was interesting to watch all of the activity. However, many people were also letting off firecrackers here, there and everywhere so you never really knew when something was going to explode around you. That part I didn’t particularly like. The others went back to the hotel at this point but I decided to walk up to the bridge and see more of the lanterns being released.

I walked up the street and it was crowded everywhere. At this stage it was closed to vehicular traffic, except for tuk tuks, and it was still crowded with just the pedestrians. I got out on to the bridge and looked at some of the floating lanterns but I think it was too late to get a lot of them at once. However they were trickling by. There were people in the water catching some of them and I never did quite figure out whether this was planned and the people were out there collecting any valuables for the temples, or whether they were just out there collecting things for themselves. The floats were quite elaborate and many of them had fruit and other foods on them. Apparently some also had money so the people in the water were at least getting the money. I’d like to think that they were getting all the money and the food and putting it to good use but I’m not sure that was the case.

I then walked backwards along the parade route enjoying the colourful floats and costumes as well as the music and the incredibly beautiful ladies on the floats. This is a real beauty competition and I think every float held its own competition to find the most beautiful girls to ride the float. The guys were okay too but the girls were particularly beautiful. I figured if I went backwards on the route it would speed up the process. The parade is actually scheduled from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight so I don’t know how long it really is. However, the floats stop quite frequently so people can get out on the street and take pictures and so the bands can play for them. I don’t know whether the parade got started right at 6 p.m. as scheduled but it was certainly going by 7 p.m. when we saw the earlier floats and it was still going when I started walking the route at 9:30. I reached the end about 10:15 and it would certainly take until at least 11 (if not later) for the last float to reach the far end of the parade route. The streets were still packed so I guess the people are used to long parades. And it was a perfect night to be watching a parade – full moon and probably 70 degrees with just a very slight breeze at times. My feet were tired though so I took another tuk tuk back to the hotel instead of doing more walking.

Loy Krathong day festivities are big all over Asia and they are set for the full moon in November so the date always varies. We were just lucky to be around on the full moon because none of us really planned it that way. We were also lucky to be in Chiang Mai as it has one of the biggest celebrations. Bangkok has the event but only on one day. Chiang Mai celebrates for three days with parades and free music concerts and fireworks and beauty competitions and many, many other events including a lot of temple presentations. Chiang Mai is also the city that started floating the lanterns into the air. All places float their trouble, worries and sins away down the river but most are just getting into the airborne lanterns. It is quite a sight to behold as there are hundreds if not thousands of these lanterns floating up to the sky. And they move in a column as the wind takes them so it almost looks like a ballet or choreographed presentation. From our hotel window we looked toward the river so had a great view of the lanterns being launched and the fireworks. There were probably six different launch sites within our view and each one had its own pattern. A lantern would rise every minute or two and then would move with the wind currents so they were always in a row moving in one direction or another depending on their level and the direction of the wind. It was quite fascinating to watch and at any one point in time there were hundreds and perhaps thousands of lanterns in the sky. They burned for a long time but eventually they did burn out and on several occasions an empty lantern also went down past my window. The ground was littered with them the next day and our guide said the people would just gradually pick them up and dispose of them. These lanterns are the shape of a barrel or tube, maybe four feet high and four feet around. The lantern sits on the bottom and the hot air eventually forces the lantern to rise. Obviously with hundreds or even thousands of these lanterns in the air, air travel is limited and even cancelled for certain hours every evening. I probably won’t have any decent pictures of the lanterns but I can assure you they were quite wonderful to watch and it really quite a neat tradition and a great festival, especially given that it is always on the night of a full moon.

On the 23rd we had another scheduled tour and we went to the Maesa Elephant Training Camp. Asian elephants can be trained while the larger African elephants cannot be trained. When we first arrived the elephants were taking their baths in the river and they were definitely having a good time rolling around and splashing and being groomed by their trainers. The elephants here are used to help with work and some of what we saw showed us just how they are used for work. They were dragging heaving logs and then piling them against leaning poles. This took teamwork and if any one of the elephants didn’t do their part the log would have rolled back on the others so it was interesting to see how they handled the job. We also saw them playing soccer and basketball. In the first they would kick the ball with their front or back foot. The goalie would stop the ball with foot, head or body – whatever worked best. Because they are so big and the exhibition area is so small it was really only one elephant per side versus one goalie in a shoot out and the one elephant was very good. The other one didn’t often hit the net but he was fun to watch. At the end when the goalie was going after a ball beside the net, this guy ran in and just put his ball in the net and then did a little celebratory dance. The basketball they pick up and throw with their trunks. Again it was one on one and the first elephant was better and was winning so the second one just went up and dropped his ball into the net. They also had an elephant versus a human dart throwing competition. There were lots of misses but they each hit one balloon. The human then ran up and broke many of her balloons so the elephant went up too and broke his balloons with his tusks. It was obviously all staged but it was fun to watch these huge animals playing the games. Of course they all had different personalities and the littlest one was hilarious. No matter what he was supposed to be doing he had to keep twirling his trunk around and around first to get everyone’s attention as if it was his warm up dance. They also all bowed or curtseyed to all sides of the audience and waited for their applause. I guess I should also say that each elephant has a rider who is in control of the process. At the beginning they showed us how the riders get on and off the elephants whether coming from the side, front or back. The elephants could even take the hat off of the humans and then put it back on them later. It was amazing exactly what they could do with their trunks.

The best part of all was the art demonstration, which also showed what they could do with their trunks. Five of the elephants came out carrying their paint trays with their trunks. The humans carried the easel and perhaps a 2 x 3 foot art paper that was set up on the easel. The humans also chose the brush, put the paint on it, and handed it to the elephant. The elephant then held the brush with his trunk and proceeded to paint, with a little help from the human who pulled the elephant’s ear occasionally. The pictures were amazing. The one right in front of us did a small plant or tree with red flowers. It was mainly a white background with a black flower pot, some black lines for the branches, some green for the leaves and then the red for the flower. It was very good and took a lot of training I’m sure. The other elephant we could see was using a different technique (doesn’t that sound silly when talking about an elephant painting?) in that he was painting a landscape. He used much larger brushes and started by dabbing in a blue sky. Then he switched colours and went to a darker shade for the mountains and then a couple shades of green to do the trees and ground. Near the end he switched to a smaller brush and drew a tree trunk and branches, and then proceeded to put some leaves and flowers on that. It really was a beautiful painting and probably the best of the group. In the end it sold for 6,000 baht or about $200. The others sold for 2,000 baht I think. One of the others was rather abstract but interesting. One was a tall tree with flowers and it was very nice. The last one was another plant with lovely yellow pedals and a red centre. It was quite amazing to watch these elephants paint and I was impressed. I might even have bought a painting if they hadn’t been so expensive and if the people right near the exit hadn’t already done so.

After the show we went for an elephant ride through the jungle and over a hill to the next village. There was a stand to climb up so you were at the height of the elephant’s back and then you just stepped on the elephant’s back and into the wooden seat that was mounted on his back. The seat was reasonably comfortable to sit in but the elephant takes such big lumbering steps that you really are jerking around quite a bit. They had a bar in front of you so you wouldn’t fall out but you really had to hold on at times anyway. It was really hot and sunny at times when we weren’t under cover of the trees so I had an umbrella in one hand for shade and my camera in the other snapping pictures. It was much easier when we were under the canopy of leaves so I could put the umbrella down and have one hand free. The views near the top of the hill were stunning and we caught glimpses of our native village as we descended the hill. All around us the vegetations was very thick. The path was narrow and often right against the side of the hill on one side. My elephant kept stopping to scratch his side against the trees on the one side. The elephant in front kept trying to rip out vegetation to eat. Both acts bounced the riders around a fair amount. And often there was a rather large drop down the one side of the path so you really didn’t want to be bouncing around a lot. The elephants obviously just step in the same foot prints left by those ahead of them as these were very, very deep footprints and then an untouched path. At times it seemed like we were going straight up and at other times straight down but I think that was just because the elephants were so big and there often was quite a difference in the level of their front and back feet. Anyway, it was a fun ride and lasted almost an hour before we reached the other valley and the village we were going to.

The Karen Hill Tribes (Long Neck or Padong) are supported by the government in an attempt to save some of these smaller tribes. This group was originally from Myanmar and some are still Myanmar citizens who live here with permission of the Thailand government. There were several different but related tribes in this village but we were here to see mainly the long-neck tribe. As the name suggests, these people have long necks and that is because they wear gold rings around their necks. They start this when they are very young and the number of rings increases as they get older. The gold spirals are very beautiful and so are the ladies wearing them. Apparently these days only girls born on certain special days wear the bands so not everyone has one. Most of the ladies and the young girls we saw were wearing them. We lifted one and it was incredibly heavy. Around their neck they look decorative and you don’t think about what they actually weigh. The doctor with us estimated the weight at over 4 kilograms or close to 10 pounds, and of course that weight increases as rings are added. He is a neurosurgeon and was curious as to what the effects were on the people wearing the necklaces but apparently it does not affect their spinal cord or back bone at all. The shoulders apparently drop lower but that is the only change. With the extra weight around their necks, they sometimes have to wear gold rings on their legs as well to keep their balance when they bend over during the day. The girls have wonderful posture and I guess that probably relates to the extra weight and balance as well.

The village is very nice with bamboo homes up on stilts. The roofs are thatched and many are covered with tea leaves. They are not on stilts for flooding but would be safe if there were heavy rains down the hillside. The real reason they are on stilts is for natural cooling with the shade and the air moving under the actual house. Saint Nicolas Church is at the end of the town and the church also helps to support the village. There were lots of children playing in the village when we were there and they were playing just like any children do. Some had trucks. Some had dolls. Some had hula hoops. Some were colouring and some were just playing in the dirt. We then walked across a path through a just harvested rice paddy to visit some of the other tribes. We saw one lady from the long ear tribe where they stretch the hole in the ear with various adornments and another lady from the belt tribe where they wear heavy ornate metal belts. We also saw an elderly lady, about 80, harvesting rice. She had a wooden pounder that she operated by foot to break the chaff from the grain and then had a wicker basket for separating the two. The houses were the same as in the other part of the village.

We took our lunch break at Tiger Kingdom and then a visit with the tigers. Lunch was a delicious buffet for 200 baht or about $7. The restaurant obviously only exists as a tourist stop as there were many tourists and tour guides in the place. The tourist stop is really the tigers that you can actually even watch from the restaurant. I paid to see the smallest, small and big tigers but in fact got a visit with the smallest, small and medium tigers. The medium tigers were 13 month old twins named Jennifer and Sophia. The small tigers were 6 months old and there were three of them but I didn’t get their names. The smallest were just two months old and they were Lulu and Lala, again twins. Both Lulu and Lala were asleep while I was there so it was easy to take pictures with them and pet them. The guides just pick them up by front and back paws and position them in your lap or wherever you’d like them. They really are just like cats and most of the day they sleep. The three small tigers were also pretty lazy but they were awake enough to know we were there bugging them while they tried to sleep. Their compound was pretty wet and dirty so I didn’t get right down beside them for any pictures. Kneeling was enough for me. The medium tigers were definitely larger and I did get down beside them for some pictures. They are beautiful animals and very well cared for. They seemed quite content but I really wasn’t sure whether they were breeding them here or whether they were orphans who were being cared for. I have a feeling they are all being bred here just to live in captivity for tourists like me. I can’t imagine it’s much fun for them but perhaps they are content as they know nothing different.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Orchid Farm and it was beautiful. I had no idea that orchids took four years to grow and the first year is spent in a bottle. This farm just has rows and rows of hanging orchids that get misted twice a day but have no soil around their base. I probably should have known this was how orchids were grown but I didn’t. Anyway, with all the cross pollination they are doing, they have some incredibly lovely colours and varieties on display so it was a pleasure to spend some time enjoying their park. It was an added bonus that they had an enclosed butterfly garden. I had forgotten just how hard it is to actually see a butterfly sitting on a plant or how hard it is to actually get a good picture of a butterfly with its wings open. I did get a few good pictures though and I just enjoyed being in the garden with all the butterflies fluttering by me. I almost missed the most unique butterfly as it looked just like a leaf with its wings closed. When it opened its wings it was a beautiful grey, blue, black and gold, which was well worth waiting for.

We got back to the hotel just after five and at seven the four of us took tuk tuks up to the Riverside Restaurant and enjoyed a lovely dinner outside on their patio. The musician who was playing was very good and the songs were ones we all knew from the 60s and 70s so quite a change from traditional Thai music. Two of us went back to the hotel by tuk tuk after dinner and the other two went back to the night market for more shopping. On the 24th we had the morning to sleep in and relax and get backed up for our trip back to Bangkok so sleep in I did. I don’t seem to have any particular notes from Chaing Mai itself so I guess that’s it for Chaing Mai.

Bangkok, Thailand – November 19, 20 and 25, 2010

We arrived in Bangkok late in the morning on the 19th and immediately started our touring. We went to the Grand Palace, which is just awesome with its gold colour and detailing, and to the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. We got back to the hotel about 4 p.m. and then went back out again about 6 p.m. for a dinner cruise. Some folks went for expensive shopping in the two spare hours but I definitely wasn’t into that.

The Grand Palace was such a surprise to me. I had no idea what to expect but it was absolutely stunning. The complex covers over 218,000 square metres and is surrounded by four walls, 1900 metres in length. Over 100 buildings are included in the complex including the royal residences, throne halls and government offices. It showcases the architectural and cultural history of the country since the founding of Bangkok in 1782, according to one brochure. All I know is that every building was beautiful and I’m sure we didn’t see even a quarter of the complex. The Grand Palace is a symbol of the monarchy and is used for many royal ceremonies. Judging by the number of people around, it is also very popular with the tourists. There were so many buildings and so many people that it was almost impossible to get good pictures although I’m sure I took several hundred. Between the buildings there were statues and shrines and all of them were beautiful. I just don’t know how to even describe it but it really was overwhelming.

Many of the buildings were of a Thai design with sloped and slightly curved roofs and generally several layers at the front. Each of the edges was adorned with beautiful gold designs with ornate curves or horns or heads at the end. The fronts of the buildings were also heavily adorned in gold with blues, green, red or white as a background. The entrances were ornately decorated with statues and smaller structures, often also gold. Between the gold decorations there were often gemstones or glass of various colours. The gold colour was everywhere and even the large stupa was gold from top to bottom and it was surrounded by smaller bejeweled spires and towers. There were large decorated porcelain statues of men and animals guarding many of the buildings. On the buildings there were also carvings of decorations like men, elephants, monkeys, etc. There is a lot of marble around as well in the walkways, pillars and bases of the statues. It was very “rich” looking to say the least.

Some of the buildings are based on other cultures. For example the one room’s interior is similar to the Versailles Palace in France and the one building’s exterior is similar to Buckingham Palace in England. The murals in some of the buildings were also reminiscent of European frescoes. In total there are 178 panels depicting various real and mythical scenes from Thailand. The ones I saw were quite spectacular and with 178 panels, this is the longest continuous mural in the world. The complex also includes a model of Angkor Wat, which seemed rather strange at first. However, it turns out that over a hundred years ago Siam, now Thailand, ruled part or all of Cambodia including Siem Reap where Angkor Wat is located (Siem actually is Siam). In 1866, the King of Thailand sent two Americans to photograph the site, which is when the world first saw pictures of it, and then in 1867 he sent for a detailed description of Angkor Wat. From those details the replica was built and completed in 1882 on a scale of 1:1,000 so the people of Thailand could see the site for themselves. Apparently the replica is so detailed and accurate that when he visited Thailand the Prime Minister of Cambodia took pictures of it to help his people with the current restoration of Angkor Wat.

Wat Phra Keo or the Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha, which houses the 2,000 year old, 31-inch emerald Buddha, was closed so we didn’t get into that part. The King’s birthday is coming up on December 5th and some new statues were made in honour of the occasion. This was the day they were dedicating the statues so they could be sent to the communities around the country where they would be officially unveiled during the birthday celebrations. The King will be 83 I believe and he is obviously a very well respected and loved man. He is in the hospital at the moment and the hospital is on the river so the people sail their decorated boats past the hospital to keep the king entertained and let him know that they are thinking of him and wishing him well. There are pictures of the King and the Queen everywhere in the country but they are definitely from when they were younger. They say there are some older pictures too but we never saw them. The son who is to become king is apparently not well liked by the people or the government so they changed the law to let females become Queen and rulers. The eldest daughter currently lives in the US so they don’t know if she will come back when her father dies or if the son they don’t like will take over the position. The ones we talk to all want the daughter but I’m sure some of the people really aren’t in favour of a female in the position, especially one who hasn’t even been living in the country. It is also interesting to note that the King is actually a US citizen who was born in Massachusetts while his father was working or studying there for a few years.

Okay, back to the topic at hand, the Emerald Buddha, which some belief to have been built in 43 B.C. but lost for many centuries. In actuality the Emerald Buddha is made from green jade and it was discovered in northern Thailand in the 15th century. Apparently when it was discovered it was covered in plaster and when the plaster started flaking off the nose a monk thought it was green emerald and that’s how the name came about. Since that time it has been in the King’s possession. In the 16th century it ended up in Laos when the King of Thailand who was of both Laos and Thai royal heritage, went back to take over as King in Laos. It stayed there for over 200 years before coming back to Thailand and when the city of Bangkok was established the Emerald Buddha was placed in the Royal Monastery. The Royal Monastery serves as the royal private chapel but there are no monks in residence. Apparently the interior of the Monastery includes a beautiful altar, many statues and some beautiful wall murals and decorations. The Emerald Buddha is attired in three different outfits throughout the year to represent the changing seasons of hot, rainy and cool, which it supposedly is now even though the temperature is in the 90’s and it feels like over 100 according to the weather reports. Anyway, perhaps I’ll see this building on my next trip if the monastery is open that day.

The throne room was quite ornate but we weren’t allowed to take pictures in there so I can’t actually remember any details. We had to take our shoes and hats off but we were allowed in. I know there was a big high throne at the back and I think that was for the coronations. There was a smaller lower throne at the front and I believe it was the one used for receiving guests. There was a seven layered canopy over the thrones as well. I am going to have to start keeping notes in a journal because everything is starting to run together in my mind. I really don’t know what else to say about the Grand Palace except that it was a feast for the eyes, a wonderful surprise and very enjoyable. I’d like to go back again just to see if it’s as impressive the second time around.

Wat Pho, the temple compound containing the Reclining Buddha was built in the 16th century. The Buddha itself was built in 1832 and it is magnificent. The only problem is that the Buddha is very hard to get a picture of as it is so large (46 metres) and housed in a building not much bigger than it is. The building itself has wonderful murals or frescoes on the walls so it’s equally impressive. The Buddha is a beautiful shimmering gold (gold plated actually) and the face alone is 15 metres high. The feet, which are probably the easiest part to see, are three metres high and five metres long and the soles are inlaid with mother of pearl, although I have to note that I don’t remember that part and maybe didn’t even see it. I guess I was too busy trying to take pictures of the whole length of the Buddha – the best ones come from down by the feet. To view the reclining Buddha you take of your shoes and then just walk in one door, around the Buddha and out the other door and put your shoes back on. It was a pretty quick visit but well worth while.

We had a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River for our farewell group dinner. The dinner was very good but you really couldn’t talk as the engine and the music were so loud so there wasn’t much of a farewell dinner (unlike China where we had a separate room and a few short speeches about the trip and things that happened on it). However, the skyline of Bangkok is quite magnificent, especially when you pass places like the Grand Palace or some of the temples and even the new modern high rises. The boats on the river were also beautiful to see but I’ve got more on that below.

I can see the river from my hotel room at the Sheraton Royal Orchid and it is a very busy river. There are a few tug boats pulling large barges loaded with goods but mainly the traffic is just ferry and tourist boats. The ferries run regularly for the locals and, like in very city, sometimes they are almost empty and sometimes they are just packed full with many people standing. The tourist boats are small for quick tours or river crossings or slightly larger for dinner cruises or even larger for dinner and party cruises – and they all move very quickly. The party boats especially are decorated with bright lights and pictures. Some are decorated with neon lights like bright balloons and some like animals and they really are creative. Some even have huge video screens projecting continual shows. Even the smaller boats all have white or coloured lights all around their shapes. This all makes for a very festive river at night and the 21st of November, the day we are flying out, is the biggest festival of all – Loy Krathong day. It is the full moon and the Festival of Lights on the river which means the river will be especially beautiful. There will be floating lanterns and even airborne lanterns as people send their worries and cares away, which sounds like a great idea.

The next morning four of the remaining group members took a tour to the Damnden Saduak Floating Market and the Rose Garden. We left at 7 a.m. and returned at 5 p.m. so it was a full day. At the same time it was very relaxing and enjoyable with a pace somewhat slower than the previous few days.

We drove for about an hour to our first stop and boarded our longtail boats for what seemed like a very fast ride down very narrow canals that twisted and turned throughout the area. Along the banks of the canals you had two options: green vegetation or houses on stilts. Both options were varied with the first being tall trees, short trees, shrubs, grass, flowers, etc. and the second being little dilapidated wooden shacks, large older looking wooden homes or more modern-looking homes or businesses of various sizes and operation. Some of them looked like mansions and many of them looked like wonderful modern places to live. And almost every house we saw had a dock for one or two longtainl boats. Some were just docks where the boat could be tied but many were lifts with manual hoists to get the boat out of the water. Some of the houses were only a foot or two above the water level while others were ten feet or more above water level. I thought the water level seemed pretty high but the guide said that it was often much higher and would flood any nearby roads and walkways.

Our ride was a fascinating journey for about 45 minutes and very cool and relaxing. We were going so fast we couldn’t take pictures except at corners where we had to slow down. A longtail boat has a long fixed pole that sticks out the back and the motor is at the end. I guess that is the original of the longtail name. Bangkok and the surrounding areas have canals everywhere and were once known as the Venice of Asia. The walking bridges over the canal are high enough to allow boats to pass but most boats are very low so I guess the height of the bridges is really the highest expected water level plus 6 or 7 feet so the tallest man standing on a boat can get through.

We eventually got to the actual floating market and we knew we were getting closer as the number of boats on the water increased. Not only were there more longtail boats but there were also more boats full of produce and goods, as opposed to just tourists. People had fruit, vegetables, hats, purses, spices, souvenirs, art work and fast food ready to sell to anyone. The fast food boats were actually cooking and preparing the food right in the boat. Some had huge pots boiling away while others had sizzling grills. And you have to realize that the average width of a boat is only three or four feet and the length might be ten to fifteen feet. They do have a flat bottom, which makes them much more stable than a canoe of a similar size. At times in the main canal of the main street there were so many boats that the water just disappeared as it was bank-to-bank boats. The market was packed both on the water and on the land. Yes most of the people were tourists but there were a lot of locals as well. They were definitely the ones buying the produce and eating the food from the floating restaurants. The tourists were gravitating to the souvenirs.

The whole market was a scene of pure chaos and yet perfect harmony at the same time, if that makes any sense. To our western eye it was chaos and kind of like having hundreds of street vendors moving up and down a busy narrow street with people buying and selling all the time. But it works for these people because it is their way of live and they are perfectly happy bobbing around on their boats frying bananas for their neighbours to buy and hoping to purchase something different from their neighbours at the same time. When you live in houses on stilts on the water all the time your only way of getting around is by boat so why wouldn’t your business also be in a boat or at least in front of your house at the side of the canal? It makes sense and it certainly seems to work.

From the market we drove to the Royal Thai Handicraft Centre. This is mainly a wood-carving workshop and we got to see the carvers working as well as the finished products. Every product included intricate detail whether it was a large piece such as a cabinet or tables and chairs, or a small piece such as a picture or key chain. There was such depth and dimension in the carving that many of the items were three to four inches deep with forest scenes and animals. It was all very beautiful but most of the pieces I really liked were well out of my price range and way too big for my condo, let alone my suitcase.

At some point along the road we stopped where someone was selling sea salt. There are many ponds along the side of the road and these are required as part of the process of making salt from sea water, which appears to be a thriving business around here. The salt in the building was piled 6 to 8 feet high for storage. The harvested salt is washed and bagged into different sizes for sale. We didn’t buy any but it looks just like the sea salt on any store shelf in Kelowna.

We then tried to go to a certain temple and stupa but there was some big celebration or ceremony taking place and traffic was totally blocked in the area. After being stalled in traffic for many minutes we decided to just try and take a picture from the van and then keep going to our next stop, which was lunch. We went to the Rose Garden and had a delicious buffet with a great variety of foods available. The restaurant was in a beautiful setting and we sat right next to the window overlooking a lake and gardens and some traditional buildings. After lunch we had some time to wander around the garden and lake and river and the flowers were beautiful especially the orchids.

In the afternoon they present a cultural show. It started with trained elephants outside and they were entertaining, especially the one who quite obviously liked being centre stage. You could have had elephant rides too before the show but I’m saving that for in the jungle later. We then went into the theatre for the main Thai Village Cultural Show which was very colourful and enjoyable. The show is the longest running one in Thailand with over 16,000 performances over 40 years. There are over 150 cast members so that will give you an idea of the size. The stage was a typical large stage with a Thai village as a set – wooden houses on stilts and with thatched roofs. Then there were stairs down to the floor of the theatre and they had a huge performance area there as well which represented the town square. The seating was around the three sides looking at the stage and probably held several thousand people. They had a traditional orchestra that did a few numbers at the start and then accompanied many of the other numbers. The other numbers varied from song and dance to almost comedy routines and covered the main ceremonies held in a Thai village. These included choreographed martial arts and other self-defense activities like kick boxing and sword fighting, the welcoming or fingernail dance where the ladies all have long golden fingernails and move gracefully around the floor, the wedding ceremony activities that continue for the day, the ordination of a man into monkhood (most Thai males enter into monkhood for at least three months when they are young), the coconut shell dance where the ladies use coconut shells to beat the rhythm of the dance, the candle dance which is another graceful one by the ladies each of whom holds two lit candles, the harvest dance which is their Thanksgiving dance and incorporates various crop harvests, the bamboo dance where the people both male and female keep going faster and faster as they jump the bamboo poles that are being tapped on the ground, and the flag dance at end where the entire crew comes out and dances and waves flags from every nation. The whole show was very colourful and impressive.

We drove back to the city and our hotel. Sylvia and I went down to the dinner buffet and then for a quick walk along the river to see if there were any festival boats on the water but there weren’t many. She then left at 9 p.m. for the airport to fly home and I sat down to write some blogs. Tomorrow four of us are off for the tour extension to Chiang Mai and people tell us that is definitely the place to be to enjoy the Festival of Lights so I hope that’s true.

Okay, it was true. We had a great time in Chiang Mai and the Festival of Lights was enjoyable. However that’s in another blog. Now I have to report on my last day trip in Bangkok, one I did on the day the last of the tour people departed for home. I took a day trip to the Bang Pa-In Palace and to Ayutthaya and cruised back on the river. The cruise included lunch and was very good. There was an open deck on top of the boat but it was not covered so it was way too hot to sit out there for more than a minute or two. However, there were many windows in the lower area so I did get to enjoy the sights. My pictures just won’t be that great.

Bang Pa-In Palace is about an hour from Bangkok and it is the summer palace for the royalty. There are lovely gardens and flowers and many streams and ponds throughout the complex and lovely pathways and bridges as well. The one pond had huge fish in and we were each given a bun to feed to them. You’d think they hadn’t eaten in months and yet the last batch of tourists still hadn’t left. There are many buildings on the property and we only had an hour so we did a quick walk through with the guide and then had some time on our own to look around and take pictures. I climbed up the tower to get a better view but otherwise just wandered the pathways. You can’t go into the actual residence but other buildings are open. The first palace on this site was built in the 17th century but deserted with the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. When discovered again in the 19th century it was revived and expanded in the 20th century. The present King and Queen still use the palace occasionally for receptions and banquets. There is an outer and an inner palace area separated by water, bridges and a gate with the inner palace reserved for the King and his family. In the inner court there are memorials to members of the royal family, many homes for the ladies of the court, the lookout tower and two two-stoey mansions: one recently rebuilt following a fire and one built in the late 19th century. One is a western style building while the other is a traditional Thai style building. I believe it was the latter that was rebuilt. The outer court contains assembly halls and residential halls and other buildings. The whole palace area is very peaceful and quiet so would be a great place for a summer retreat. The buildings are all lovely and in such a wonderful setting they all look fantastic.

Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand from 1350 until 1767 when the city fell to the Burmese and fewer than 10,000 of the 1 million population survived. There are many separate sites with ruins from Ayutthaya but we went to two main ones: Wat Maha That and Wat Phrah Sri Somphet. Some of the taller ruins you could see from a fair distance so it must have been quite a city in its time. Now entire complexes are almost totally in ruins with only a few buildings and walls and remnants of statues remaining. As a thriving city many palaces and temples and monuments were constructed. Now they are trying to piece it all together again. The heads of all the statues were cut off by the Burmese as they wanted to see if the statues were made of gold. Thus any statues that are still left are headless. At Wat Maha That the one head was left under a banyan tree and the roots of the tree have now almost totally surrounded it so that it looks like part of the tree. I wandered around these ruins but as nothing was specifically labeled it was hard to tell what each part had once been. It is a large site though and I can see how it resembled Angkor Wat in many regards.

As we drove down the highway we could see many other ruins and if all of them were connected at one time it was a truly large spot. Most of the ruins appeared to be built of small red bricks and heavier solid columns. There was a wall around the entire complex. The base pads for many sculptures or pillars still exist. The seven-tiered pagodas or stupa are the only forms that can be identified. Some of the original floor bricks still exist, as do many eight-sided pillars surrounded by brick. In some cases carved decorations can still be seen on the white solid pieces. Some of the towers or stupa are leaning heavily so I hope they can get them reinforced before they too crumble in disarray.

Wat Phrah Sri Somphet was much larger and more of the stupa are still standing and almost in their original form. Again the structures were built with small red bricks and large white slabs and columns. This compound seemed to have double walls and some really think ones at that. The outer wall had slatted windows like a fort and supposedly for defense. The complex was built in the 15th century and most of the stupas and towers are bell shaped. At the entrance (or exit) of the ruins there was a white temple that looked like a Church except for the edges of the roof. There was a golden Buddha statue in it, the Phra Mongkhon Bo Phit, which is almost 17 metres high. It was quite impressive.

Now to more generic details. Thailand has a population of over 64 million people and 10 million of them live in Bangkok. The country used to be called Siam but changed its name to Thailand in 1939. That reminds me of The King and I which was about a king in this country. One guide thought it was a wonderful movie and used it when talking about several locations. Another guide hated the movie and said it was banned in Thailand because it was so bad and so wrong historically. I’ll probably never know the true version but I’m quite sure Hollywood probably embellished a few of the details. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, which I think makes their King pretty similar in status to the Queen of England. You are not allowed to criticize the royal family over here so that is quite different than in England. 90% of the people are Buddhist and the simple belief is to give more and expect less or even give more and expect nothing. There are several Christian churches in the city as well as some mosques.

The country is doing well economically and expects an economic growth rate of 7.5% this year. They are the largest exporters of rice in the world even though they are only the third largest rice producer in the world. China and India both produce more rice but they need much more of it to feed their large domestic populations so have less to export. Vietnam is the fourth largest producer and second largest exporter although I think our Vietnamese guide told us they were the largest exporter. Did you know there are over 20,000 varieties of rice? Thailand grows 38 types and one of their most popular exports to North America is Jasmine rice. Other industries include cars are clothing. Tourism is very big and health tourism is a growing segment of it. They joke that they have three seasons of hot, hotter and hottest and I believe them. I’m just glad I’m supposedly here in just the hot season. The country borders Cambodia, Laos and Burma and has oceans on the east and west. Thus it is quite humid and subject to monsoons and tsunamis. Education is free for 15 years starting with kindergarten. Hospital visits are free but there was no mention of visits to doctors or medicines. Their alphabet is like Indian Sanskrit with 44 letters and I’m sure they said 33 vowels but that doesn’t make much sense to me.

Bangkok became the capital of Thailand in 1783, the fourth capital after Sukhothai, Ayuthaya and Thonburi. Scenes of Bangkok range from beautiful river scenes with high rises, fancy shopping centres and restaurants on both sides and boats going past to small outdoor markets and restaurants on crowded streets. Then from the crowded hot streets you move to beautiful large tree-lined boulevards and massive freeways. Homes can be expensive high rise condominiums or large fancy houses or smaller old or new houses or even just wooden shacks or lean-to’s with metal roofs. It is a city of contrasts but one where everyone seems happy and content. The people are very friendly and not at all pushy. They ask you to come in and look or to buy something but if you say no thank you they simply let it go or if you say you just want to look they leave you alone. I like that aspect. And they are very gentle people. Males and females all greet you with hands folded in front as if in prayer and with a smile and gentle bowing of the head. It’s just a very polite society.

And just before I end this one I am going to give you the official name of Bangkok. The word Bangkok that we know translates into the city of olives whereas their shortened name for the city translates into the city of angels. The official Thai name is rather long so most Thais just refer to it as Krung Thep or Krung Thep Mahanakhon. We can just be thankful they shortened it to Bangkok for the rest of us. At 265 characters this is the largest city name in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records and I’m typing it (obviously) so there may be a letter or two wrong but here it is. And I thought that city name in Wales was long!

“Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit”.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam – November 15, 2010

This blog will be not only a write up on Ha Long Bay, where we spent the afternoon and night, but also general comments on Vietnam, which I haven’t included anywhere else yet - if I can remember what I’ve already said and what I haven’t.

We left Hanoi at 8:30 this morning and drove north for four hours with just one twenty-minute stop for restrooms and some shopping. At 12:30 we arrived in Ha Long and went directly to the pier where we boarded a boat for a four hour cruise including lunch and a cave exploration. It was a cloudy day but very warm so just perfect for a relaxing cruise in Ha Long Bay. The bay is a UNESCO world natural heritage location, covers over 1500 square kilometers and includes over 3000 limestone islands carved into wonderful shapes by the water. It also includes a vast diversity of sea life including fish, seaweed, coral and other plants. From our perspective as tourists for the afternoon, it is just a beautiful bay with many stunning islands in incredible formations.

The islands in the bay were formed over five hundred million years as the earth’s plates moved and pushed the rock up from the ocean. They have beautiful designs on their sides when the rock is showing. Sometimes they are layered like bricks and sometimes they are swirls like a modern painting. At other times the slopes are treed and no rocks are visible. And often the stronger rock that has not been eroded away or broken off stands out as an overhang or distinct shape towering above and balancing on the rock below. There are many islands and individual outcroppings that conger up various shapes such as a kneeling woman with a shawl, a turtle, a bird, dragons, swans, and many others. It was a very relaxing afternoon enjoying the scenery and imagining what all the shapes were.

Many of the islands have caves and tunnels in them, some of which took 700,000 years to make as the water slowly eroded the weaker parts of the rock. We could see many of the caves at water level and above on many of the islands. The Vietnamese used these caves to hide during the war. We went into one cave and it was huge. We had to climb up almost 200 steps (and back down again) but it was certainly worth it. The inside of the cave was basically white and had continual stalactites and stalagmites in various shapes and formations. The coloured lighting enhanced all of these formations and made for some beautiful shots. The first part of the cave was very open and large and was considered the royal ballroom. In other places there were smaller passages and then structures that looked like mermaids and lions and dragons and buddhas and, if your imagination was working well, you could see all of them perfectly. I think my imagination was lacking in some cases.

When we first arrived at the harbour there must have been 30 buses lined up with tourists rolling off. And in the harbour it looked like there were hundreds of boats. Some were just small junks and only a few people could take a ride on those. Some were larger and would hold 10 or 12 and one like ours had two decks with the tables and chairs for eating below and an open deck above and would hold about 30. Other ships had three decks with sleeping quarters at the bottom, eating area on the second and an open deck on the third. They were all wooden boats and most appeared to have the same polished wooden interior that ours had. The ship itself was very comfortable and seemed very sturdy. However, we weren’t so sure about the pilot or crew. Dozens of boats were leaving at the same time from the harbour and boats were going in all directions. They all have large rubber tires down their sides and it’s a good thing because the bump together quite regularly. At one point our boat was getting quite close to another boat out in the open water and it became obvious that the crews were transferring a watermelon to our boat. They must have forgotten to pick up our dessert! Anyway, the two boats hit quite hard and anyone who was standing went flying. One of the ladies on our boat fell quite hard but seemed to be okay afterward. The tourists really are flocking to this place but I don’t know whether the locals are being properly trained to handle the duties required of them or if they are just being rushed into it. As someone in our group said, “the tourists are just loving this place a little too much. Hopefully they aren’t loving it to death.”

Our onboard lunch was absolutely delicious and the best we’ve had so far on our journey. It was a seafood luncheon that consisted of many courses including whole steamed prawns with a lime and salt mixture for dipping, deep fried spring rolls, stuffed crab, French fries, calamari, a fish the name of which I have forgotten, rice and steamed vegetables and of course watermelon for dessert. (I think I’m forgetting something but I don’t know what!) Everything was cooked fresh on the boat and it was all piping hot when served. And it was all devoured quickly.

Ha Long Bay has been an important port since the 12th century and it has also always been a big fishing community. Evidence of civilization in the area goes back thousands of years. Currently there are just over 1 million people living in the city, which is right along the shore line and that means it runs up the hillside. It looks and feels like a small town but at over a million people I guess it is not all that small. Obviously we just haven’t seen the entire city.

The countryside in northern Vietnam, and indeed all of Vietnam that I saw, is very lush and green. The rice paddies make the land seem almost as if it is flooded but still it is a beautiful bright green. From Hanoi to Ha Long Bay is mainly flat until close to Ha Long Bay where it gets hillier. The crops grown on the flat land include rice, bananas, corn and many other fruits and vegetables. Many farmers still use water buffalo with small single plows in the fields but a few of the did have the small motorized tillers like Dad used to have for his small four foot wide garden. At one point there were about a dozen men using these tillers in one large field so obviously they do at times work together on their farms. I did see a small old tractor in a field and later on another one on the street but those were the only two in all my travels in Vietnam. On occasion there were even people working with single hoes working up the land in some areas. In many of the fields there would be bicycles or motor bikes parked at the edges and then you knew to look for farmers. Many times they were just seen from the waist up if they were out in their rice fields. And almost everyone working on the farms wears the traditional woven cone hat so that the yellow cone is pretty easy to spot in the green fields.

There were some small communities along our journey. Homes in these communities are often just one or two storeys high. In the larger communities the homes were higher but normally no more than four storeys. Of course there were some business buildings that were higher in the larger centres. The homes are often very colourful with blue, yellow, orange, green earth tone colouring. And most of the old brick houses are still very thin because they paid taxes based on their width, but quite high and deep. It was interesting in many places to see brick buildings that were totally empty and some didn’t even look like they’d been finished but no one was working on them now. I forgot to ask the tour guide about them so I’m not sure what the story was.

We passed one big industrial area where there were lots of big factories. It is located in the north because there is a big harbour here which allows for easy shipping. Some of the businesses in the area involved clothing, footwear, coffee, rice, seafood, electronics, oil and natural gas. Vietnam is apparently quite rich in oil and natural gas, which is one reason China would really like them to join the Republic. Coal power is still used in a lot of places, which accounts for a lot of the pollution. They have some hydro power and they are trying to switch to nuclear power as well. In one of the industrial areas there was a large Canadian training centre mainly for trades and technical training the tour director thought.

The roads are generally good although there are some bumpy patches that need repair. The main problem with the roads is of course just their driving, which seems really strange to us but seems to work for them. I am moving closer to the front of the bus every day so will soon have a bird’s eye view of the highway – but I think that will be in Cambodia so who knows what I’ll find there. There are trees all along the road side, which makes everything look even greener but prevents good picture taking. There are also many rivers, streams and canals to help with all the drainage required in the rainy season and to get the proper water levels for the rice paddies.

Parts of the countryside look very dirty and there is a lot of garbage on the side of the road or on the banks of the streams. In the same area there are lots of little fires burning, which I assumed might also be garbage. Obviously they don’t have garbage collection in these areas so I guess burning it (or throwing it on the side of the road) is the only way to get rid of the garbage.

In one of the areas just outside of Hanoi there were vendors on the side of the road selling bread and baguettes. Apparently this area is famous for its breads and people just stop on the highway and grab some to eat on the road or to take home. In the town and the main cities, when people stop at a café to eat they just sit on little plastic chairs or stools out on the street. These look like kid’s chairs to me but they are used everywhere and you can see people sitting on them eating with their knees up to their chins. It looks uncomfortable but it’s definitely the accepted thing to do.

You see some cemeteries along the side of the road but not many and the coffins or memorials seem to be in different sizes. The Vietnamese believe in reincarnation. They bury their dead for three years in regular sized coffins. Then three years later they remove the body and clean the bones so they are ready for the next life. This ceremony is very important and must be done in a very precise manner and only at night between certain hours. Then the bones are buried again in a smaller coffin and remain there for life, or I guess until reincarnated. One of the real cruelties of the French was that they beheaded the Vietnamese prisoners and then buried the head and body separately so the person would never be whole and could not be reincarnated. Okay, enough about that except to say that I wonder how Ho Chi Minh’s body fits into this picture. If he is suddenly reincarnated someday will his body just disappear from viewing?

I think that’s it for Vietnam (although I’m still not done writing my Hue blog!). Vietnam is a very beautiful country. Its cities are a bit older and dirtier looking than in some places but they have everything you need and the people are friendly and happy. I was only here for 10 days so certainly didn’t see the entire country but what I saw was definitely interesting and enjoyable. Now we’re off to the airport and our flight to Cambodia. If I see anything else of note on Vietnam I’ll have to add it to the Hue blog because I’m posting this one now while I have internet access. Chow!

Hanoi, Vietnam – November 13-15, 2010

Our flight from Hue arrived in Hanoi about 5:30 p.m. where we met our new local guide and driver and took off for the city. Before going to the hotel we went to the Press Club for dinner. The Press Club is in the French Quarter, which is very nice with large French buildings and villas along the streets. Years ago, there was a Press Club in every Asian city to accommodate members of the press as they covered the war. This restaurant is not an original but is modeled after one. The building was beautiful with separated rooms for dining. The meal was western style and very good. From there we went to the Melia Hanoi, our home away from home for two nights.

On the 14th we left the hotel at 8:30 and went off on our tour of Hanoi. Our first stop was the Temple of Literature which was built in the 11th century. It has five main gates with five courtyards before you get to the main temple. The main statue is of Confucius and there are other lesser statues around as well. The whole area was a school for many years from the 15th to 18th century. Males would have to pass three sets of exams to get into the school and the exams were only offered every four years. Very few students were admitted each year so there are only about 1,100 graduates. Currently only 82 of these are commemorated in this complex. Some were destroyed during the war and some were also destroyed by the king. The graduates were Doctors of Literature and they were supposed to be wise individuals. If a king did not think that a graduate was living according to his learning, then the king could remove the graduate from the list. Each student has an inscribed stone that sits on top of a turtle. The turtle is chosen because it symbolizes longevity and learning that is to carry on in the future and benefit the country. On the stone are the student’s name, their parent’s names, and their answer to the examination question. The questions were always applied and dealt with current issues (i.e. flooding, famine, water supply, etc.). The best answer was then put into effect to improve the country. If it was a good year for the country, the turtle’s head would be raised very high. If it was a bad year for the country then the turtle’s head was very low. There were rows and rows of turtles with slabs on their backs. Many Vietnamese were rushing around rubbing the heads of all the turtles asking for knowledge and long life.

The entire complex was crowded with people and many of them had bouquets of flowers. It turns out that it was the graduation ceremony for several professors and their family, friends and students all come out to honour their professors and take pictures. The graduates in this case were all in uniform and they were all teachers at the army and navy university. They looked very handsome and yes, they were all males. The au dais (?) the ladies were wearing were absolutely beautiful and so colourful. It really is a lovely national dress. On another note, November 20th is a special national day when all teachers are recognized and flowers and gifts are given to teachers at all levels. Isn’t that a nice idea?

Our second stop was the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Despite the fact that he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread on the mountain tops of the country, the government decided that Ho Chi Minh’s body should be preserved for all to see and remember. The mausoleum is a very secure and proper location. No cameras are allowed. You cannot wear hats or sunglasses. You must be quiet, and you just file through slowly and walk around the memorial where his body is in a glass case. He looks just like his pictures and I’m sure the people feel comfort when they see him. However, it does seem rather strange in other respects and you have to wonder how long they will continue the practice before just substituting a wax figure. Who knows? Maybe they have already. Anyway the building is very large and impressive with many solid levels and steps and then a high columned central area much like the Lincoln Memorial but enclosed. It is on a huge square which becomes a gathering place when needed.

Behind this area you find other buildings relating to Ho Chi Minh. The house he lived in from 1954 to 1958 was under construction so we couldn’t go in that one. We did go through the house he lived in from 1958 to 1969, the house-on stilts like the ones used by people in the mountains, which is where he preferred to live. It was very plain and simple and that is the way he wanted it. There was a plain bedroom and an office upstairs and a meeting room for guests downstairs. He had his meals at the main house even after he moved out. We also saw three of the cares given to him by foreign governments. They were in great condition because he seldom used them and preferred instead to ride his bike if he was going out. The complex also had a beautiful pond and walkway, orchards and gardens, which made it very peaceful and relaxing.

Not far away is the one-pillar pagoda, which is a very small lotus shaped pagoda standing on one pillar in a small pond so we had a quick stop there. As we left the area we drove by the Presidential Palace, which is a beautiful yellow (almost gold looking) four storey building that looks like it’s right out of Europe. The other buildings were all much smaller and plainer. This Palace was formerly Indochina’s General Governor’s Palace. We also drove past the lake where John McCain’s plane crashed during the war. The Vietnamese have a marker up on the location because McCain was later so helpful in mending relations between the US and Vietnam and for helping with the open door policy in their country. And yes, that was another whole lecture on history, which I’m afraid I did not even try to write down.

Lunch was at the Seasons of Hanoi and it was delicious. Every part of it was good and we had a fish soup, deep-fried spring roles, rice, pork and onions, beef and vegetables, sautéed eggplant (which I didn’t enjoy) and fried bananas for dessert. From there we went for a CYCLO ride. They capitalize that every time I see it but I don’t really think it’s an abbreviation for anything. You just sit in a nice comfortable seat and someone on a bicycle behind you peddles you around the streets. I found it very relaxing and enjoyable and I really don’t know why I wasn’t scared to death. At times you would have cars and motorbikes going past you in every direction all at once. I took a video at one intersection so hopefully it will show the real effect. We went through some of the French Quarter and the old town and around the lake and it was all very nice. Because it was a weekend there were many wedding couples out having their pictures taken. It was fun to see what they consider logical wedding photos. The poses were the same as you might see in Canada but they were all taken on busy street sidewalks with traffic all around. Perhaps the photographers photoshop the pictures to clear the backgrounds.

Our last stop of the day tour was another historical place commonly referred to as the Hanoi Hilton. The name over the door was the Maison Central but originally it was Hoa Lo Prison. Captured American pilots, including John McCain, were prisoners here during the war and they nicknamed it the Hanoi Hilton. It was built in the 19th century by the French to control the Vietnamese. After the North was liberated in 1954, the prison was taken over by the Vietnamese and used to house POWs during the Vietnam War. The conditions were definitely not nice. The cells were small and held many people. The food was scarce. The torture was brutal in some cases. It was definitely not a fun visit but at least they have saved the prison and some pictures and artifacts as part of their history and there were many Vietnamese touring through the facility while we were there. The Americans felt it was a very biased perspective and a lot of propaganda but I expected that. The Vietnamese would probably say the same thing if they visited an American museum on the Vietnam War.

At the end of the afternoon we came back to the hotel. If you wanted you could go to the old town to walk around or shop but I figured I’d seen all I wanted to see on my CYCLO tour. Two hours later we were out the door again and on our way to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. This form of theatre was started by the farmers in the rice paddies and gradually it became an art form of its own. We had second-row seats and the show was great. The first three numbers were just the orchestra. They were playing traditional instruments and the songs were very melodic and beautiful. Then they played almost a dozen numbers to accompany the water puppets. The stage was set at the beginning with the orchestra on the left hand side, a large pagoda-style structure at the back of the stage and a pool of water out front. Beneath the pagoda there were bamboo blinds and they would open as the puppets came in or exited the pool.

We had a session of drummers, a dragon dance, some buffalos fighting and their owners trying to separate them, ordinary farm scenes, village harvest ceremonies, horse raising, coconut picking and last but not least, a carp transformed into a dragon. They were all cute and very colourful. Sometimes they had props such as fire batons and in the end it turned into a black light show with a dragon rising out of the pool and going skyward. The puppets are all on long sticks that are controlled by people behind the bamboo blinds. That may sound easy but it looked very tricky as puppets were crossing back and forth and mixing with other puppets so someone had to be directing traffic behind the scenes. It was fun to watch and it was interesting to see another piece of Vietnamese history. And as I said at the end, I could just see some rice farmer out in his rice paddy doing something simple just for fun and having his children enjoy it so much that he had to create a whole set of characters and make up stories as he went. Now it is an entire theatre form, which has been recognized by UNESCO “as immaterial cultural heritage of humanity.” That’s the quote from their program and I thought it was cute. I’m sure they meant material not immaterial but who am I to correct them.

Following the show, Sylvia and I walked back to the hotel along Hoan Kiem Lake. It was lovely evening and the lights were beautiful reflected on the lake. I don’t think either of us managed to get a non-blurry picture but it was great to see anyway. Back at the hotel we joined some of the others in the Latino bar to finish the evening. Tomorrow we are off to another location for more adventures so that is it for touring around Hanoi.

My impression of Hanoi is that it’s a varied city. There are parts that look very old and the buildings are very small. Then there are totally new sections with high rises. Many of the buildings have a French or European style to them but the rest are the typical Vietnamese style. There are many small lakes within the city and the Red River flows through it. There are also many gardens and parks and a lot of trees on the streets. The stores range from the totally modern to very old style and many of the purchases are just made on the street as the vendors just seem to park themselves and their wares anywhere that works. They carry their goods in two baskets balanced on a long bamboo pole over their shoulders so often they just set the baskets down on the sidewalk and start selling. I even saw one many having a hair cut out on the sidewalk today. It didn’t seem to bother him that cars and motorbikes were whizzing by. Hanoi has 6 million people and 3 million motorbikes, which are the most popular means of transportation because they are cheaper than cars and smaller. People do not have garages for their bikes so they simply take them into the house and park them in the living room for protection. And the motorbikes seem to have the right of way so that everyone else must avoid hitting them.

Vietnam in total has a population of 86.5 million. The country has a family planning policy and couples are allowed only two children and they must be five years apart. You can have more than two children but you might lose your job or have to your pay cut and/or be subject to public shame. Couples are encouraged to use IUDs and have vasectomies to limit pregnancies. Most families still prefer boys to carry on the family name. Our local tour guide has two girls (8 and 3) and he is perfectly happy with them and doesn’t feel the pressure to carry on the family name. Years ago women were treated as less important than men but now they have more equal rights and sometimes the women work outside the home while the men stay home and cook and clean. This happens more so in the cities than in the rural areas. In some of the rural areas the men still try to control the women but the women are being more proactive and the divorce rate, although still very low, is rising. With more promiscuity among the younger people they are getting more abandoned children but there are orphanages to help feed and provide shelter for them and help them with their education.

Education is considered very important in Vietnam and parents want their children to be educated. They system is based on Confucianism and the teacher talks while the students listen and take notes. There is little discussion and the students and parents all respect the teachers and hold them in high esteem. There are five levels of public education: kindergarten from ages 3 to 5 and sometimes even age 2, primary for ages 6 to 11 (grades 1-5), junior high for ages 12-15 (grades 6-9) and high school for ages 16-18 (grades 10-12). The parents must pay for education at all levels, kindergarten to university, as there are no government subsidies for education. In the third grade all students start learning English as they recognize how important it is to be able to speak English. To get into university a student must pass an exam. However, the Vietnamese universities are not well respected even by the Vietnamese so parents like to send their sons and daughters to universities in other countries such as the US and Australia.

Despite the level of respect felt for teachers, they still only earn about $80 US per month. Doctors earn about $100 US per month. If that seems low, it really is. Yes, things cost less over here but that really is a low wage. Most teachers tutor students and hold special classes after school and in the evening at their own homes. As the students have to pay for such as service, this gives the teacher an added income that could likely be more than the salary. Moving from education to health, Vietnam has a health care system which people can pay into. However, most prefer to use a private system instead of the public system because the private system is much faster and more convenient. Sound familiar?

There is only one political party today, the Communist or Power Party. The country holds elections but with only one party to vote for, the elections are quite useless. You can be arrested for making political jokes or comments so politics is never discussed in public. When our local guide was learning English he liked to talk to English-speaking travelers so he could practice his English. The government at the time phoned his parents and told them to stop him from attending any further meetings.

Most of the above information is coming from our local guide who was just excellent in his explanations. And his English was fantastic. He had better pronunciation than most of us! His father served the southern army during the war. He was sent to one of the camps and brainwashed with continual propaganda and lectures on how great communism is. Our guide was telling us how hard it was to tell who the VC were in the south. During the day they would carry out their normal jobs and then at night they would lead a different life. He told us about his father’s friend who came to stay at their place on occasion. The friend later told the farther that he was sent to blow up the station but he was afraid to do so for fear of what might happen to the family. After the war the friend was recognized as being a VC hero and received lots of awards and press. The guide’s father was so surprised as he had no idea, and when his father was in the re-education camp his friend came to visit him.

This guide’s father had the same problem finding a job after the war as our first guide. All the good jobs went to the government supporters. Even though he was well educated, a doctor I think, he could not work in his profession. Instead he worked menial jobs leaving home at 3:30 every morning and returning at 9 p.m. each night and working for little pay. The guide told the same story of having nothing but cassava, rice and potatoes to eat and sometimes very little of those. Since moving to a market economy in 1986 and allowing foreign investment, the standard of living is improving and people can now own their own businesses. Rice exports have become very important for the economy. However, despite all these pluses, living costs have also risen sharply.

Okay, time for bed. Hopefully I’ll have some time soon to finish and post more of these blogs!!!